coward

«coward» in Mova's school dictionary: a person who is too afraid to do what is right, brave or… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a coward, cowards)

meaning for a pupil

1) A coward is a person who is too afraid to do what is right, brave or necessary, or who runs away from danger or difficulty. tree →

2) (insult) Calling someone a coward is a strong insult meaning they have no courage. tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories and legends, the coward runs away while the hero stays; in ethics lessons pupils learn that bullies can be cowards, picking on weaker people. It also teaches that being afraid is normal; acting rightly in spite of fear is bravery. Phrases: «a coward's way out», «cowardly», «don't be a coward».

examples

• The bully was a coward who only picked on small children. tree →
• The cowardly lion in the story was really brave in the end. tree →
• He called me a coward because I wouldn't jump off the wall. tree →
• Telling the truth when it is hard is the opposite of being a coward. tree →
• The soldier was not a coward; he stayed to help his friends. tree →
• Running away from the fight was not cowardly; it was sensible. tree →
• Two Tails is a great coward. tree →

note

Countable: a coward, cowards. Adjective «cowardly», noun «cowardice». Trap: «cowardly» looks like an adverb but is an adjective (a cowardly act). Not every fear is cowardice: walking away from danger can be wise. Do not confuse with «cower» (to crouch down in fear).

In the corpora

• At tea Grandad says: «Being frightened means you're a coward, lad.» Dad puts his fork down.
• Being frightened does not make someone a coward; courage means doing the right thing while feeling afraid.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «coward» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.